JU faculty approaches NCW for justice

Tribune News Service

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Jammu, February 2

Dejected over university’s “inaction”, a senior faculty member from the Department of Law, Jammu University (JU), has knocked the doors of the National Commission for Women (NCW) against “injustice” meted out to her after a complaint of alleged sexual harassment.

While entertaining her complaint, the NCW has virtually censured the university and “strongly condemned such instances” with a directive to the Vice Chancellor office to submit a detailed action report in the matter within a month.

The victim, who happens to be a senior faculty member in the Department of Law, filed a complaint of alleged sexual harassment at workplace against Professor Kulwant Singh, Dean and Head of Law Department, in the last week of October. Professor Singh is now Director, Directorate of Distance Education, JU.

In its letter to the Vice Chancellor on December 6 last year, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said “the Commission strongly condemns such instances and zero tolerance towards sexual harassment at workplace” and asked the university to take appropriate action as per relevant provisions of the law and send the action-taken report in the matter within 15 days.

Prof Kulwant Singh had earlier too remained in controversies after a faculty member from Law School had filed a complaint of sexual harassment against him when he was the Director of Law School in 2017.

At that time, the university administration sought a legal opinion to nominate him for an administrative post in the university from the state’s Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Department which found “no legal impediment” in nominating Professor Singh as dean faculty of law, though the university’s Committee Against Sexual Harassment (CASH) had barred him from holding all administrative posts.

“The university authorities, in their action-taken report (ATR) to the NCW on January 29, said the matter was under process. The university has been asked to submit final ATR in the matter within 30 days. After the NCW directive, I was again asked to appear before the CASH which appears to be reluctant to recommend any action against the accused,” the victim faculty member said.

The victim alleged the accused was again made head of the department and his “stalking activities” have started increasing.

“He has been affecting my research activities, including harassment of my scholars. The strange was the response from university authorities who even objected to my decision to directly file a complaint with the NCW. On February 24, I was called by CASH, but it appeared that they too did not want to take action against the accused. Rather, the CASH asked me to suggest measures to stop such incidents in future. The university seems to take no action against him,” the victim said.

Professor Neetu Andotra, Chairperson, CASH, said, “It is an old matter which has already been decided by the complaint committee. I don’t know why it has come for discussion again. We are looking into the matter as how it is a case of sexual harassment as there was no mention of word ‘sexual’ in the complaint to the NCW”.

“We have invited the comments of persons involved in the case. We are verifying the factual position. We go by the facts. We are submitting our report in next three days,” Professor Andotra said.

‘Commission condemns such instances’

In its letter to the Vice-Chancellor on December 6 last year, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said “the Commission strongly condemns such instances and zero tolerance towards sexual harassment at workplace” and asked the university to take appropriate action as per relevant provisions of the law and send the action-taken report in the matter within 15 days.